7804. ] 
Count’s enquiries with an account of an 
experiment, eafily repeated, and which he 
made with a view of inveltigating the 
caufe of the flow evaporation of drops of 
water placed on hot metals, 
Experiment.—TVaking a clean polifhed 
filver {poon, he blackened the infide of it 
with the flame of a wax candle; and then 
put a large drop of water iato it which 
rolled about the f{poon, without wetting 
its blackened furface. He then attempted 
to make the water boil over the flame of 
the candle, but found it impoffible. If 
the bowl of the fpoon were touched with 
the finger a hiffing noife announced that 
it was extremely hot, but the water re- 
mained quiet in the fpoon, without being 
evaporated. f[iaving in vain attempted 
to make this drop of water boil, he povred 
the drop into the palm of his hand, which 
was only warm though the handle of the 
{poon was too hot to be held even with 
feveral wrappings of linen about. 
By holding the fpoon, with a pair of 
tongs, over the flame of the candle fora 
Monthly Retrofpect of the Fine Arts. 
329 
longer time, the drop gradually changed 
its form, became lefs, and at length eva- 
porated: from being fpherical and lucid, 
it took an oblong form, and its furface 
became obfcure; and when it was evapo- 
rated, it left a fin behind it, which was 
compoied of the particles of black matter, 
that had by degrees attached themfelves 
to its furface, and which, probably, had 
contributed nota little, to its being at laft 
heated and evaporated, 
The change in the form of the drop of 
water, and the gradual lofs of its lucid ap- 
pearance, led the Count to fufpeét that it 
had turned round during the experiment. 
But if it really did fo, its motion muft 
either have been extremely rapid, or very 
flow; for though he examined it with the 
utmoft attention, he could not perceive 
that it had any rotatory motion. 
A farther illuftration of our author’s 
theory, and the praéfical ufes to be de 
rived from the many facts eftablifhed by 
his experiments, will be given in our next 
number. 
MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF THE FINE ARTS: 
Lhe Loan of all new Prints and Communications of Articles of Intelligence are requefted. 
A PiSurefgue Reprefentation of the Manners, 
Cufioms, and Amufements of the Ruffians ; 
with an accurate Explanation of each Plate, in 
Englifh and French, printed at Bulmer’s Ee] Se 
N our Retrofpe& for July 1803, we 
noticed the firft volume of this very 
{plendid work, which is eomprifed in three 
volumes, imperial folio, and now com- 
pleted, and fold at Mefirs. J. and J. Boy- 
dells,Cheapfide, and at the proprietors, No. 
8, Conefay-ftreet, Fitzrcy-fquare, (at five 
guineas each volume ;) where f{pecimens 
of the original drawings may be feen. 
The work is dedicated, by permiffion, 
to his Imperial Majefty, of whom there is 
a portrait, from a pigture, painted by G. 
Kugelgan, engraved by E. Scriven, hifto- 
vical engraver to the Princefs of Wales. 
The Ruffians, always a great and 
powerful nation, but little known to the 
reft of Europe, till drawn into notice by 
the creative mind of their great law-giver 
Peter the Firft; have now attained a 
weight and importance in its feale, that 
muft give an intereft to any thing that 
may tend to elucidate their manners, 
That a field fo ample, fhould hitherto 
have been fo little trodden, is rather extra- 
ordinary ; for while we have been inun- 
dated with tours and pifturefque journeys 
Monruty Mac, No. i227. 
through Greece, Italy, Switzerland, &c.° 
-Ruiffia, which whether viewed in point of 
{cenery, character, or coftume, is at leaft 
as interefting as any of them, has been 
rarely defcribed. To remedy this defi- 
ciency is the leading object of the prefent, 
work, in -which the authors profefs that 
truth thall always be the leading feature 3 
and to difplay accurate reprefentations, 
they have ceriainly had eminent opportu- 
nities, for Mr. Atkinfon, who made and 
etched the drawing, was (as well as Mr. 
Walker, who is engraver to his Imperial 
Majefty,) eighteen years a refident in 
Roffia; the artift afferts, that he has 
vifited and drawn from nature every {cene 
which hedefcribes. The fketches, though 
neceffarily flight, are extremely forcible, 
fpirited, and charaéteriftic, and in the 
colours of nature. The authors ftate that 
in fubmitting them to the public, they arg 
aware, that the want of finifn and detail, 
may be objected to by thofe who have 
been accultomed to fee coftumes treated in 
a geographical, rather than a piciurefque 
manner; but as charaéter, action, and ex- 
preffion, and not the minute particulars of 
drefs, form the diftinguifhed features of 
nations, it is to thofe great objects they 
have deyoted theig principal attention, 
XX They 
